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Amitabh Bachchan of Bengal says `no’ to Mamata Bannerjee

MUMBAI: The entire Bangla entertainment industry knows of the local heart-throb Prosenjit’s proximity to Mamata Banerjee. The actor is not only close to his ‘Mamata Didi’ but also to her family. Therefore it was seen as a foregone conclusion that Prosenjit would be one of Mamata’s most immediate and natural choices as a Lok Sabha contestant.

To the shock and dismay of all his fans in Bengal, Prosenjit has said `no’ to the offer to contest elections in spite of the High Command’s repeated offer.
It is being said that Prosenjit decided to stay out of the fray because his father, yesteryears’ heartthrob Biswajeet, had been invited by Mamata Banerjee as a Lok Sabha candidate.

Prosenjit stoutly denies his father had any hand in his decision to stay out of the elections. “My father came in much later. I was one of the first persons Didi offered a Lok Sabha ticket. Mamata Didi is extremely fond of me. She was very keen that I contest elections. However I am very clear about my priorities right now. I am fully involved with my acting career. I can’t even think of directing a film , let alone taking on an entirely new responsibility.”

This National Award-winning actor, considered the Amitabh Bachchan of Bengal, is doing a revisionist version of the Mahabharat on screen. “It’s a role loosely based on the Mahabharat that takes me from the age of 27 to 85. It requires an immense deal of preparation. I can’t take a major chunk of time off from such acting assignments to contest elections. Mamata Didi is ghar ki baat. She is family. I’ll be by her side only when I am completely able to give her time. I know nothing about politics. It’s okay to be iconic and to command a fan-following. But one has to be prepared for a life in politics. I am very clear about joining politics only as and when I can give a 150 days straight to electioneering. I can’t go into anything halfheartedly.”

About staying away from politics because of his father’s candidature as a Lok Sabha contestant, Prosenjit protests, “My father came into the picture long after I was offered a seat. I’ve absolutely no issues with my father in the fray. He and I sorted out our problems some time ago. Senior actors like my father and even Mithunda (Chakbraborty) have relatively more time to devote to politics than me. Right now I am in the most exciting phase of my acting career. Politics is of as much interest to me at the moment as astronomy. As I speak to you, I’m shooting in spite of a fever.”

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